美国政府决定从8月4日开始，停止施行已经两年，禁止乘客带普通打火机上飞机的政策。美国运输部认为，在乘客登机前搜索他们身上是否携带打火机，根本是浪费时间。 2001年当鞋子炸弹客芮德意图在从巴黎飞往迈阿密的班机上，用火柴引燃藏在鞋子里的炸弹後，美国政府在国会的坚持之下，终於宣布了禁带打火机上机的命令。 3 L$ \ Y+ @" a# w/ L$ F% y7 W 3 Y8 F& d. }" `; c' K0 DCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 6 K& [9 l- n' | C. P% y1 KUS authorities will no longer enforce a two-year-old ban against taking cigarette lighters on planes because searching passengers wasted time and did not improve aviation security, the New York Times reports. x7 ^$ J4 ]! H+ L- `0 o! R! b, f: C( A- @- j
The ban on lighters was ordered by US lawmakers after a passenger, Richard Reid, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami.5 b" E& v+ L s& h; D- K) `
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Reid, known as the "shoe bomber", had used matches to try to ignite explosives concealed in his shoe and is currently serving a life sentence for trying to blow up the transatlantic flight.$ O% ^* \+ @& u
0 X8 a# B4 ~/ G+ l) B$ l- jUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. ' u; [+ J3 M" W! r, V, U; r% W9 k* ^6 Z) |0 C8 K, m' N, z6 G! n$ Q
US Transport Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley says the ban on lighters did not significantly enhance security because small batteries could be used to detonate a bomb.9 y& a/ a9 I" V# O
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.% R! u# W% n% f P, l
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.: \7 x( s, G) @+ h( e2 d, y
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."$ y1 o/ g5 G" ~! b
8 ]# w* \, G( v& V. B& _2 cThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. 4 X1 K5 ]( y% R m$ k! | o* o9 @$ ~8 A
The New York Times says some 22,000 lighters a day are collected by security officers at airports across the United States and disposing of the confiscated lighters has cost about $US4 million a year.
